


Part of the Music

by purajobot935



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Crack, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Magic, Nonsense, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-22
Updated: 2012-09-22
Packaged: 2017-11-14 19:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/518727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purajobot935/pseuds/purajobot935
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jazz is so determined to bring music back to his home kingdom of Iaquon that he fails to see what's been right in front of him all along. Maybe Prowl can help him out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Part of the Music

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vejiraziel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vejiraziel/gifts).



Part of the Music

Prowl swam through the bustling streets of Iaquon, greeting the few vendors he knew with his usual quiet half-smile, as he made his way to the palatial home of his best friend and sort-of partner Jazz. It was a beautiful day, and logically there was no better way to spend it than with someone he loved, just enjoying the little pleasures in life.

Well… HE loved. Whether Jazz shared the same sentiments he wasn’t all that sure. Sometimes they would share a moment or a kiss that made Prowl’s spark do a little flip-flop inside, and all but hope that soon the day would come when Jazz finally up and told him he returned the love. Other times, Jazz would treat him as nothing more than a friend and go shamelessly flirting with some other handsome, young Aquabot that caught his optic.

Prowl sighed to himself. He couldn’t compete with that; despite friends telling him that he was just as, if not more, good looking than some of the bots Jazz ran around with. If he was, then why wasn’t Jazz his? It didn’t make sense, so all he could come to was the logical conclusion that he wasn’t as handsome as those others.

He flipped his strong tail a little harder, flapping his wing-fins, and propelled himself faster towards the gates of the crystal dwelling, turning a sharp left just before he reached them to swim up and along the wall, shaking his head. No, he was not going to spoil this fine day just feeling sorry for himself.

Locking his hands by his sides, he swam directly towards an opening in one of the towers that served as an entrance, exit and window to Jazz’s room. Neither of them could be bothered with the formalities of going through the main gates, so they had devised this little method of coming and going.

However, as he neared the opening, he heard raised voices, and in the next moment a bubbly, blue and white blurr came shooting out of the window, nearly colliding with Prowl himself as he hurriedly came to a stop, flailing his arms to stay upright.

“Jazz?!”

The other Aquabot turned sharply, a scowl on his face which softened when his optics finally came to rest on the mostly black and silver bot. “Prowl. Heh, sorry. Didn’t see ya there.” He swam over. “Y’alright?”

“I’m fine,” Prowl replied. “What about you? You certainly tore out of there in a hurry. Is everything okay?”

The frown came back, though not as deep as it had been. Jazz took his friend’s hand and gave a little tug, pulling him along as they swam to the little crevice in the wall Prowl had come through and crept back out. Prowl followed, tilting his head, puzzled at his friend’s mood.

“I just had to get outta there in a hurry,” Jazz said at last, as they swam their way down to the main marketplace. His visor flared up a moment. “They caught me singin’ again, an’ told me t’stop.”

Ah, that explained everything then, Prowl thought. “It’s never bothered you in the past… well… not to this extent.”

“I know, but last night I couldn’t sleep… and then I began t’wonder: why is it that we never hear any music around here? I mean, don’t ya think it’s odd? No music around an’ yet m’name’s Jazz. So why am I named after a style of music when there’s no music in Iaquon?”

In truth the question had crossed Prowl’s mind, but he had just as soon dismissed it when the answers had proved a bit too illogical to consider. “So what did you do?”

They stopped at a regular vendor’s stall and picked up a couple of snacks, then headed over to a quieter street where they found a small bench and sat down.

“I snuck out and went down to the archives,” Jazz continued. “Looked up some scrolls from some decades back. Prowl… there used to be music here.”

“So what happened to it? Where did it go?”

Jazz looked away, his expression rather distressed and his hands clenched the edges of the bench he was sitting on. Prowl moved closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, letting him lean against him and trying to shoulder some of the as yet unknown burden.

“Jazz?”

“Up there.” Jazz pointed up – a vague gesture, but Prowl knew what he meant.

“The Terranicons?”

The blue-and-white bot nodded. “There was a war, a long time ago, between the Aquabots and the Terranicons. The Terranicons wanted rule of the waters as well as that of the land and skies, but the Aquabots refused to give up the only areas of the planet that was ours.”

“Well yes, Jazz. We all know that much. They taught us that in history class back in university.”

Jazz gave a wry smile. “Y’know me and history classes, mech. I usually used the time t’catch up on my recharge.”

“Because you’d be out socializing the night before, yes I was aware. I’m the one who usually did your homework for you.”

“An’ y’know how much I appreciated it right?” Jazz leaned in closer and placed a soft kiss to Prowl’s mouth. “I really did appreciate it.”

Prowl looked at him longingly when he pulled away. “I know… So… what else did you find out?”

If Jazz noticed the look, he didn’t show it. “Well, both sides suffered pretty heavy losses, but the Aquabots weren’t fighters like the Terranicons were, so over time the losses started to tell quite notably on the population.”

“As expected,” Prowl said. “But what has that got to do with the music?” He knew if he let him, Jazz would just ramble for hours before getting to the point. “Why would the Terranicons take away something as un-warlike as music?”

“’Cause it was the music that gave the Aquabots their spirit, their reason to fight an’ their reason t’live. Eventually the two sides didn’t want to incur anymore losses to their people, and essentially the Aquabots were coming out on the losing side. So the ruling monarch at the time – my grandsire, mind you – called for a truce with the ruling leader of the Terranicons.”

“And let me guess, one of the conditions on our part was no more music?” Prowl asked. “Well, they certainly left that out of history class.”

Jazz nodded. “In return for not wipin’ us out completely, we couldn’t have music anymore. Anythin’ capable of makin’ music was taken above water and destroyed.” He sighed.

“I still don’t understand. Why not just destroy the Aquabots then, after taking away the music?” Prowl was not particularly inclined to the artistic side of life.

“Because we were still too strong a people then. They could’ve, but they would’ve lost so many more Terranicons, it wouldn’t have been worth it. Now, without the music, our people are only existing. They aint livin’. They’re just empty shells without a spirit in ‘em an’ if ya ask me, all that’s left now is for the Terranicons t’come in and squish us like petro-squids.”

“So nice to know you think of me as just an empty, spiritless shell, Jazz,” Prowl remarked.

“Oi! Y’know you an’ I are an exception t’many a rule around here,” Jazz replied. 

“Thanks… I think.” The black-and-silver bot looked at his friend. “Now you know what happened, what are you going to do about it?”

Jazz suddenly sat up and pushed off the bench, swimming out a little away. “I’m going to find a way to bring music back to our people.”

Prowl quirked an optic ridge. “And how do you intend to do that exactly?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out as we go along. First though, I’m going to head up to the surface and have a look around, c’mon.”

And Jazz took off, his powerful single-finned tail propelling him forward and up as he locked his arms to his sides, head pointed to the surface. Prowl gave an undignified yelp and took off after him, wing-fins flapping like flippers to make up the speed lost in his double-finned tail.

“Jazz! We cant just happily go up to the surface as and when we feel like it. It’s dangerous. There’s a reason we have a rule forbidding it,” he tried to reason.

“Yeah, my grandsire’s rule… an’ if he can make it, I can break it. You don’ have t’come along if you’re scared, Prowler. I’ll be fine,” Jazz answered.

Prowl only sighed and swam harder to catch up. “I can’t leave you alone. Every time I do, you end up doing something stupid. At least this way I can keep you from getting into an even bigger mess.”

“Cool.” Jazz grabbed his hand again and pulled him up alongside him, smiling at his friend and leaning in for a quick kiss.

Prowl returned it, quenching the protest at the back of his head that kept telling him this was a bad idea. As long as it made Jazz happy….

=====

The pair broke the surface together with soft little gasps, then looked around. Above them the sky was a light grey that stretched and formed the backdrop for the dark purple Terranicon stronghold of Darkmount and its imposing spires that stretched up into the clouds.

“Jazz, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Prowl said after a moment.

“You’re right… cant see or hear a thing from here. I need to get closer.” He struck out for the beach.

“That’s not what I meant! Jazz!” Growling, Prowl swam after him. “Stop!”

But Jazz didn’t stop until he reached the beach and crawled up onto it, leaving his tail still swishing in the water. He held out his hand and pulled Prowl up beside him, panting as his intakes tried to cool him down after the long swim. Prowl poked him with a finger.

“This was a mistake, we have to go back now!” he whispered angrily.

“Shh…” Jazz hushed him. “Do you hear that?”

“Do I hear what?” 

And then it reached him – the faint little tinkle of notes, barely audible unless you were listening for it. It filled Prowl with a sudden sense of life, of hope, of feeling; it felt like there had been something missing in his life, and he didn’t even know he had been missing it, until now.

So that was music.

“Do you hear it Prowler? The music?” Jazz asked. “Isnt it beautiful? I have to find a way to bring it back to Iaquon and the other Aquabots.”

“How are you going to do that? It’s not like you can just go waltzing in on legs and find it,” Prowl said.

Jazz sat up a little straighter, then kissed Prowl long and hard, tail happily flicking the water. “What would I ever do without you.” Grinning, he dived back in, splashing water everywhere.”

Prowl groaned. Just what did the crazy mech have in mind now? “Where are you going?” he asked as he followed his friend.

“To get me a pair of legs.”

=====

The Swamplands was not the most pleasant of places Prowl would have rather gone to, but once again, here he was folllowing Jazz on yet another one of his impulsive expeditions. While he agreed that the music was indeed beautiful, and there was a need to re-introduce it back to the Aquabots, he had to concur that this wasn’t the smartest way to go about doing it.

Starscream was a powerful wizard, to be sure, but rumor had it that he had once been a Terranicon. According to the gossip that went around the city, he had tried at one time to spring a mutiny on the current Terranicon ruler Megatron, only his plan, and his spell, backfired, leaving him a mutant-like creature.

Not a Terranicon nor an Aquabot, Starscream sported the upper torso of a regular mech, but his lower half ended in eight snake-like tentacles. Cursed and banished by Megatron, Starscream was magically forbidden to reverse the spell that had gone wrong on him and become Terranicon again.

Why Jazz thought this was the only way to obtain a pair of legs, Prowl wasn’t sure at all, but Jazz was stubborn and refused to be talked out of it, so Prowl could only tag along to make sure no one tried to take a cheap shot at him, and to keep him from getting swindled out of his life by Starscream.

Passing through a curtain of shredded metal vines, they swam cautiously into the inner chambers of Starscream’s dwelling and came face-to-face with the spurned wizard himself.

He sat on a throne of support struts that had probably once been the backbones of various mechs who owed him debts and hadn’t paid up. Prowl’s apprehension only grew, and he tugged on Jazz’s arm, trying once more to convince him to go back.

“Please, Jazz. We’ll find another way,” he said.

“You cannot go back once you have entered the Swamplands, without my permission.” Starscream’s voice echoed from the inner chamber. “Come inside and tell me what you wish.”

Jazz looked at Prowl. “I have to do this. It’s fer all our sakes, help me.”

Prowl cursed himself for not being able to be stronger in the face of a pout or a smile from Jazz. Something inside told him that this was a very bad idea – coming here - but trapped between a rather scary Starscream and an unhappy Jazz, Prowl wasn’t sure which one was worse.

Oh sure, there was always the immediate danger that Starscream might just turn them into scrap metal, but the fact that he would have to live with Jazz being disappointed in him – that was what finally made him relent and swim forward with his friend.

“So… give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you both into iron shavings where you stand,” Starscream greeted the pair – a rod on his right arm starting to glow.

“I need to get into the Terranicon fortress,” Jazz said quickly. “And I need legs to do it.”

Starscream paused. “And may I ask why you feel the need to do such a thing, little mermech?”

“They have something that belongs to our people,” Prowl said. “And we want it back.” His tail swished nervously.

“They stole our music,” Jazz blurted out. “And they have something in their fortress that can create music – something that was ours to begin with – it’s time they returned it.”

“I see.” Starscream rubbed his chin. “And what’s in it for me if I help you?”

“Everyone knows music is a powerful source of energy,” Prowl said. “Once we restore music to our land, we will give you the device that creates it, and then you can have your revenge on Megatron.”

The creature pondered this for a moment, then rose from his seat. “Very well.” He looked at Jazz. “I will give you legs for five hours, within which time you may infiltrate the fortress and retrieve the device. Fail to do this, and I will know it; you will belong to me.”

Prowl opened his mouth to protest, but Jazz cut him off.

“Deal.” He didn’t meet Prowl’s optics. “Change me.”

Starscream cackled and aimed a stream of brilliant magenta light at the blue-and-white mech that immediately enveloped his body. Jazz screamed.

“Jazz!” Prowl wanted to rush forward, but seemed frozen in place. “Let him go!”

The light faded, and Jazz – now with legs – kicked madly and flailed, trying to swim against gravity with limbs that were useless at such depths. Now suddenly free, Prowl swam to him, grabbed him around the waist and hauled him up as fast as he could.

“Your time starts now,” Starscream’s voice echoed up with a laugh.

=====

Prowl swam for all he was worth, trying to haul Jazz to the surface as fast as he could. Tail and wing-fins pushed to their limit, with a final effort they broke the surface and struck out for land, where Prowl finally heaved Jazz. He frowned at his friend in no little bemusement.

“That was reckless and completely insane,” he said. “How do you propose on finding that device without getting caught?”

Jazz stood up on shaky legs and walked to and fro for a moment to adapt himself to the strange new appendages. “Easy, Prowler. I just follow the music.”

“And the not getting caught?”

“I’ll make it up as I go.”

“Jazz…”

“Wish me luck!” Jazz turned and ran for the fortress.

Prowl watched him go with a sigh. “Good luck.”

He turned and dived back into the water, and for a good few minutes he wondered what he could do for Jazz besides just wait and worry. Then it struck him. If he could get the Terranicons to watch the water, they wouldn’t focus so much on the land, and it would give Jazz a chance to slip in.

Quickly he swam to where the front of the fortress was and surfaced, weapon in hand, before taking a few well-placed shots at the wall and columns. Soon enough there was a commotion and a clang of feet. Prowl fired off a few more shots, then swam to attack from the side while the Terranicons were busy returning fire from the front.

He kept it up for as long as he could, all the while keeping watch as the minutes ticked away. Jazz still hadnt returned and he hoped that the foolish, yet lovable mech hadn’t gone and got himself caught… or worse.

Finally, with less than ten minutes left, Prowl ceased his attacks and swam back to the meeting point, making sure to lay low so that he wouldn’t be spotted.

“Come on, Jazz. Where are you?” he muttered to himself. “It’s almost time.”

… And then, with less than two minutes to go, he saw a figure in the distance sprinting towards him with two Terranicon guards giving chase. Prowl tensed, then darted out and took aim, praying he wouldn’t hit Jazz. He fired, Jazz stumbled, and then there were ten seconds left.

“Jump, Jazz!!”

Jazz lept for his life and skidded to the water’s edge just as his legs glowed and fused back into a tail. Prowl grabbed him and pulled him headfirst into the water and they swam down as fast as they could.

“Cut it a little close next time,” Prowl said.

“Anythin’ fer you, Prowler.” Jazz grinned. Then he grabbed him in a hug. “I did it! I got the device, an’ would ya believe, it’s a li’l music box?” He opened his hand and showed Prowl the small object, opening the lid and letting the notes tinkle out. “Almost missed it.”

“It’s beautiful, Jazz,” Prowl said, smiling at his friend. “Can we go home now?”

“Sheesh, no appreciation.” Jazz kissed him.

“Touching.” Starscream’s voice sounded around them. “Now hand over the device.” He sneered.

Prowl and Jazz backed up, Jazz hiding the music box behind him. Starscream advanced, the rod on his right arm starting to glow with a threatening light.

“We had a deal,” Prowl said. “You can have it after we take it to our people.”

“I changed my mind. I want it now.”

“Well, ya cant have it,” Jazz said.

“My dear Aquabot, you don’t understand. You don’t have a choice. Give me the device, or lose your friend.” Starscream pointed the weapon square at Prowl. “And I’d decide fast if I were you; as you can tell I’m not the most patient of mechs.”

“Jazz, don’t.” Prowl said.

Jazz clutched the music box in front of him, and looked at Prowl. Of all the time his sire’s words chose to echo in his head, it had to be now: the loss of one for the good of many. But this was Prowl, his best friend, and dare he say it… partner. Could he afford to let him go.

“No!” Jazz flung the music box at Starscream.

The creature never had a chance to catch it. An amber beam of energy followed in its wake and blew the device to pieces. Jazz whipped his head around and saw Prowl with his arm outstretched, a bubbling weapon in his hand. Starscream let out a cry of fury and shot his own weapon. Prowl dodged, but the shot clipped him through a wing-fin and he cried out in pain.

Rage, long suppressed within him, finally bubbled over, and Jazz turned on Starscream, unleashing every weapon in his own arsenal, till the tentacled mech was forced to retreat away from them. Then, once he was sure there wouldn’t be further trouble, Jazz swam over to Prowl.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’ll be alright, it’s not serious.” All the same, Prowl refrained from flapping his wing-fins. “I’m sorry I destroyed the music box – after all the pain and trouble you went through to get it.”

“Nah, you did the right thing,” Jazz replied. “I could never give you up. I love you too much to do that.”

“You… you love me?” Prowl’s optics glowed.

“Yeah, was just too chicken-bot to tell ya.”

“Jazz…”

“Hush and just say ya love me, too.”

“I love you, too.” Prowl pulled Jazz closer to hug him. 

Jazz returned the hug. “I’m just glad y’re okay. Glad enough I could sing.”

Prowl pulled back and looked at him, a sudden thought dawning on him. Of course! Why hadn't he ever realized it before? The name, the mannerisms, the voice… it all made sense now. “I’m such a fool.”

“What?” Jazz tilted his head.

“You don’t need a music box to make music!” Prowl gave him a little shake. “Oh you silly mech, don’t you see? YOU can make the music yourself!”

“How?”

“Every time you sing! That is music! It doesn’t come from a device or machine, it comes from inside you! There’s music in all of us, it just needs to be woken up… and you’re the mech to do it.”

“Me?” Jazz’s optics widened. “Prowl… I… I don’t know… just me?”

“For a start… you just need to make a start. That’s why you’re called Jazz, named after music, because you’re part of the music.” Prowl smiled at him. “And you don’t have to be afraid… I know you can do it.”

Jazz rubbed the back of his own helm. “Well… I guess if I have you to back me up… You really think I can do it?”

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Linking his arm with Prowl’s, Jazz started to swim. “Well then, lets head home and try.”

 

~END.

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a picture drawn by Vejiraziel and written at her request in exchange for a picture she drew for me.
> 
> I... yeah I have no explanation for this... and yes, elements have been borrowed from a well-known fairy tale.


End file.
